It began as a small inquiry into a spate of burglaries on the Isle of Wight. Rumours that a local man was involved led to a series of raids during which local detectives discovered a mass of documents and notebooks containing hundreds of criminal contacts. With the help of Crimewatch viewers, the country's police forces combined to corner one of Britain's most reckless gangs of armed robbers.

It took just one viewer's call to Crimewatch UK to put police on the track of the murderers of Cardiff teenager Karen Price. The case began when workmen found the body of a woman in a shallow grave in the garden of a basement flat. It had been there for nine years, and police had little to go on except for a few fragments of clothing. Experts from across the country were called in and forensic scientists began a painstaking reconstruction of the victim's face. The result was so realistic that two social workers were able to identify her. Det Chief Supt John Williams , who was leading the inquiry, then contacted Crimewatch UK 'because they can reach people the police cannot get to'